Saturday Funnies

Google Maps at its Funniest! 

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Spelling Fail!

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The Disney Moms Disney Dooney GIVEAWAY

Contest runs January 2 - 27, 2012. Click HERE to enter.

Finally Home to Family

It is never easy having a family member in the military.  And it is even harder when that someone is your spouse and they are deployed over seas.  I have always been a part of a military family, but have been fortunate enough that my spouse and my father have never seen the front lines.  Other members of my family, however, have fought bravely for our freedom numerous times.  Being away from your family under such circumstances is hard on the marriage.  In fact, military divorces have increased 41% since 2001.  Hopefully, the number won't increase with our soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.  With the Finally Home To Family widget we all can help the men and women who have defended our country fight the war in their backyard!  Here is what is has to offer:

• What’s Your Romance Recipe Quiz! Did you ever wonder what your spouses secret ingredient for romance is? Now, you can find out with the Finally Home To Family Romance Recipe quiz!  With just a click of your mouse answer a few questions and you’ll have your customized romance recipe!
• Finally Home Dates!  Is your relationship in a rut?  With the exclusive Finally Home Dates PDF you can download great date ideas that will help add some spice into your romantic life!  All within the click of a button!  
• Awesome Stories!  Do you ever feel like you are the only one going through struggles in your relationship? Well, you are not alone!  So many couples struggle with the same things you do and in this section they have shared their stories to help other couples in the same situation!

Sound interesting?  Well check out the widget below and then share it any military families that you know.


Disclosure: I was compensated for my time to write this post.

A Gaming Family

Gone are the days when video games were geared towards just the boys. My husband, of course, still owns some of the traditional shoot’em up games, but the majority of the games we own are family friendly. The Nintendo Wii has revolutionized the way we play video games. No longer are we confined to playing with just a few fingers. Wii has introduced us to a whole body gaming experience. Among my family’s favorites are Wii Resort, Wii Fit, Boom Blocks, and Dance Dance Revolution. Not only are these games fun (especially with a little added competition), but they also have the added exercise element that helps keep our family active. If you like to have game night with your friends, Kabooki would be a great game for you. Kabooki, a fun team game, is made by the creators of Cranium and shares many of the same categories.


If you have a PlayStation, Buzz is another great game to play with friends and family. Buzz is a trivia game that uses wireless controllers (included in the game package) to answer the questions. The numerous categories and humorous characters keep the game interesting and fun. Plus, if you ever do get through all the questions, you can simply download new categories from the PlayStation online store. Another family favorite for the PlayStation is Rock Band. Although Rock Band doesn’t seem like it would appeal to the female population as much as the male population, we love it. Rock Band is another PlayStation game that you can download new songs from the online PlayStation store. Adding country songs has definitely made it more appealing to my girls and I.


What gaming system and games are popular in your house? Do you love the competition or just the fun of it?


Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Recipe Corner: White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

This recipe reminds me of my favorite Spinach Manicotti from Planet Hollywood. I found it on allrecipe.com and plan to make it this weekend (of course I will have to leave the spinach out of my family’s portion). I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta, and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

Havaianas Sandals Giveaway

Now I will admit, conversations about Sandals and flip-flops don't often come up in the middle of winter, but Havaianas may just change all that.  Even if you are stuck in the middle of a cold snow storm, you know that you are wishing that is was warm and that is where Havaianas and there comfortable sandals come in.  And one very lucky reader of Between the Lines is going to win flip flops from Havaianas!

Havaianas began in 1962 and was "inspired by the Zori, typical Japanese sandals made of fabric straps and rice straw soles.  They were Brazil's, "it", sandal and competitors often tried to copy everything from the look to the feel. Although, there popularity in Brazil is unmatched, they didn't begin gaining momentum in the US until the late 90's, early 2000's.  My sister-in-law, who is Brazilian, says that they are very difficult to find in US stores.  However, http://us.havaianas.com is making it easier for us here in States to get our hands on these extra comfortable, extra stylish sandals. 

Although, Havaianas has a huge variety of sandals to choose from, they make it easy for you to get just what you want by allowing online buyers to create their own perfect sandal.  You choose your size, your base color, and your strap color.  Then you have the option to decorate your new sandals with various pins. Include your initials, a few "jewels", or choose no pins at all. Head to their website and play around with it.  You will probably find a few pairs that you just have to have.  The ones I am sporting here were a gift from my sister-in-law to my mom.  I asked if I could try them on to see how comfortable they actually were.  And now I am going to have to go buy my own pair.

To keep up with the latest on Havaianas, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.  To enter to win your very own pair of Havainana Sandals (up to $45), simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below.